There’s nothing like a good cheese pizza, but to enjoy the very best, be sure it's made with real mozzarella. Discover why the cheese stands above the rest.
Sometimes a craving for good cheese pizza can just overwhelm you. It’s easy to solve that problem, right? You whip up your very own pizza crust recipe, throw on some canned pizza sauce, and cover everything with a thick layer of mozzarella purchased at your grocery store.
A few minutes later you’re taking a bubbling mozzarella pizza out of the oven. You can’t wait to take the first bite—but darn it all! Your pizza tastes nothing like the one they serve at your favourite pizzeria. You had all the necessary ingredients but the flavour just isn’t right. Why? The secret is all in the cheese.
What is mozzarella?
There are many varieties of mozzarella. The name comes from the process called mazzatura, which consists of cutting the curds into small balls. In cheese making, the curd is the solid that is left when the whey is separated out.
Real mozzarella di bufala is made from the milk of Italian domesticated buffalo, a registered race raised in semi-captivity. This cheese is most often found in specialty grocery stores. There are various grades, but the best are milky inside and slightly sour.
Real buffalo milk mozzarella is produced in several regions of Italy.
- Campania (Salerno, Benevento, Naples)
- Lazio (Frosinone, Latina, Rome)
- Apulia (Foggia)
- Molise (Isernia)
There is also a cow’s milk mozzarella, called mozzarella fior di latte, made from fresh pasteurized or unpasteurized cow’s milk. Even though it has neither the consistency nor the taste of the di bufala, those wishing to try it can find some varieties of acceptable quality in gourmet grocery stores.
The secret? Good quality mozzarella!
The mozzarella used by pizzerias is of good quality and enjoys a special classification. The Canadian Milk Supply Management Committee has established a class of milk (milk class 3 (d)) for the benefit of restaurants. The use of this milk is restricted to mozzarella cheese to be used on pizzas prepared and cooked on-site. The aim of this classification is to offer good cheese at an affordable price to restaurant owners, without compromising on quality.
